_One should be careful not to fly too high._
A long time ago there lived a man named Daedalus who was such a
genius that he could make anything. The king of the country became
angry and jealous because Daedalus could do so many wonderful
things, and so he shut him up in a tower and kept him prisoner on
an island out in the ocean. He imprisoned the little son, Icarus,
along with his father.
This was a foolish thing to do for it should be the part of all
wise kings to encourage their subjects to invent things, and to use
them for the good of the others. But this was a foolish king, and
so he put the inventor in prison.
Daedalus easily escaped from the prison, but he did not know how
he could escape from the island because the king allowed no ships
to take on passengers there. Daedalus decided to fly away like the
birds he saw skimming along the waters and then high up in the air.
He made a frame of wood and fastened feathers on it with wax. He
then fitted it on his back and made it to work like birds’ wings.
He made another small one for Icarus and fitted it on his back.
They practiced flying on the island and would fly from one hill to
another until they had learned how to manage their wings. They were
then ready to fly away over the sea.
Daedalus and Icarus went to the top of a hill, and putting the
wings on their shoulders they jumped off and began to fly. Daedalus
called to Icarus to fly low and keep close, and away they went over
the water and up into the air.
It was very wonderful to fly like the birds. The blue water
underneath sparkled; the fishermen looked up astonished; rowers
stopped their boats to see the strange sight. Soon they came to the
land, but they kept on flying. Farmers stopped plowing, and cattle
ran round in the field. Hunters shot arrows as Daedalus and Icarus
flew along over their heads. Then they flew over a great lake.
Icarus forgot the directions of his father and flew higher and
higher. “Do not fly so high, Icarus,” called out his father, “it is
dangerous. You are too young to trust yourself to such high places.”
But Icarus called back, “I can take care of myself,” and flew on
higher and higher. At last he came close to the sun, and all the
wax melted off his feathers and they began to drop off. One by one
they fell until only the frame was left. Then Icarus began to fall,
and he fell and fell until he dropped down into the water--and that
was the end of Icarus!
But Daedalus who had kept away from the sun flew on and landed in
his own country.